


Flightless Bird

by Phandabbydosey



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Legend of Zelda, Alternate Universe - Skyward Sword, Basically they live up on floating islands in the sky, Bullying, First Meetings, and fly around on big birds, outcast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 05:09:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9369449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phandabbydosey/pseuds/Phandabbydosey
Summary: Skyloft, a land floating above the clouds where the only way to leave the town borders is astride a great bird known as a Loftwing. Every person has one, a symbol of the divine protection from their goddess.  Every person except Daniel Howell. In his memory, Dan’s feet have never left the ground, but could a bright eyed boy help him fly when he has no wings of his own? (Based on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword universe)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was so much fun and satisfied my inner Zelda nerd. Visuals of Loftwings can be found here, here and here
> 
> My tumblr is phandabbydosey if you would rather read this over there :D
> 
> Beta-ed by the lovely gatsbys-old-sport over on tumblr :D

Living in a world that floated above the clouds, of course the only way to get around efficiently would be to fly. Unable to take off themselves, the people of Skyloft would soar through the air on the backs of their Loftwings. Loftwings were horse-sized birds with a ten foot wingspan, yellow beaks that were as wide as their faces and long tails that curled over their backs when they were stood on their two clawed feet. Their colours varied, though the downy white chest feathers were consistent.

Each person had a Loftwing, the animals said to be a symbol of divine protection from the goddess Hylia, and a deep bond would be formed between the rider and their bird. On their twelfth birthday, a child would wait in the shadow of the towering goddess statue in the temple courtyard for their Loftwing to arrive. By the time they were fifteen, a child will have mastered the art of flying and will be inseparable from their Loftwing. It’s said that people are only one half of a pair until they meet their Loftwing, broken and incomplete.

Dan was broken and incomplete, missing his other half. He’d spent three days at the foot of the goddess statue, leaving in tears because - for some reason no one could comprehend - no Loftwing had arrived. The twelve year old was left confused and upset because that wasn’t meant to happen, his Loftwing was suppose to arrive and become a lifelong friend. He wasn’t supposed to leave the statue alone.

It didn’t take long for the news of the anomaly in the system to spread around Skyloft and, within a week of his birthday, Dan was being stared at wherever he went. Things went downhill quickly after that and Dan soon found himself a complete outcast; no one at school wanted to hang out with the weird kid who’s Loftwing never showed up.

Dan would sit on the edge of the school’s launch platform during the daily flying lessons at school, his legs swinging in the endless space beneath the wooden flooring that jutted out from the edge of the land as he watched his classmates swooping and swirling through the air in a mess of swirling colours and feathers.

He always took out his sketchbook to try and keep himself distracted but he just couldn’t keep his eyes off the flying creatures, his longing gaze following the graceful sweeps and dives performed by some of the more competent flyers.

Dan especially loved watching the knight academy students. They were the only ones who stayed on in school after the age of sixteen, learning how to protect the Skyloft citizens and patrol the skies while everyone else went off to learn whatever they needed to learn in order to succeed in whatever field they chose. Generally, people took over from their parents as shopkeepers or traders or farmers. Dan was set to take over from his mother as a potion maker and apothecarist, though he had many years of learning ahead of him before he’d be able to run the store independently. His father was a knight, so there was no way Dan could ever follow after him.

His parents were very considerate and empathetic regarding Dan’s ‘situation’ as they liked to call it. They’d both comforted him in the weeks following his twelfth birthday and tried their hardest to support him as he quickly lost all of his friends. There wasn’t much they could do to make things better for their son, but they were there and that was enough for Dan.

————————

It’d been five years since the day Dan’s Loftwing didn’t appear and it was a day he both loathed and loved. It was the day of the Wing Ceremony, a kind of exam for students in their last year at the knight academy where they’d race on their Loftwings to retrieve a small wooden statue from an island far across the sky. It made Dan burn with jealousy, but - much to his displeasure - he couldn’t deny the majesty of the knight students as they piloted their Loftwings expertly.

There was one boy in particular Dan found his eyes drawn to, a tall boy with alabaster skin and inky black hair. His Loftwing was magnificent, deep navy feathers covering her body and her wings tipped with the same strikingly bright blue as the boy’s eyes.

Everything about the boy left Dan breathless and he didn’t even know his name.

Dan was sat up on a grassy bank in a quieter area of Skyloft, knowing it was a perfect vantage point from which he could see the main square and launch platform as well as just about hear the voice of the announcer. Not many people came around here so he wouldn’t have to deal with any teasing while he watched the ceremony.

He’d been out here since the early morning with his sketchbook, watching as the students practised their flying and got warmed up for the impending competition. Dan had absently been sketching the forms of the Loftwings as they were run through basic and advanced flying skills, paying more attention to the birds themselves rather than the riders. When he was drawing a certain navy Loftwing, however, he found himself penciling in a small figure on her back, one with strong shoulders and floppy black hair.

He’d put his pencil down as the mayor started speaking, running through the traditional readings and rules that preceded every Wing Ceremony. Dan wasn’t really paying attention, focusing on a green Loftwing who was busy scratching it’s head with one of it’s talons, until the names of the participants started being listed off.

Philip Lester. That was the name of the boy with the sparkling eyes. It suited him.

Dan smiled and carefully wrote the name in his neatest script beside a sketch of Phil standing with his Loftwing, keeping his eyes were downcast even when Phil’s lifted and focused on him, a small smile gracing the boy’s pale face.

Dan watched the entire ceremony from his quiet spot. He watched as the students took off and disappeared into the distant skies, returning roughly ten minutes along with a chorus of shouting and squawking Loftwings. There was always a scrabble to try and grab the statue at the last minute, though it was rare for it to affect the actual result. His lips twitched up into a smile as he watched one boy hold the statue over his head as his Loftwing landed, letting out a triumphant whoop.

Dan’s eyes shifted to Phil as he and his Loftwing touched down a few moments later, the giant bird landing gracefully then shaking her head to rearrange the long feathers that made up the crest atop her head. A crowd had formed around the winning boy and had begun to move towards the Knight Academy to celebrate but, strangely, Phil hadn’t followed. He hadn’t even dismounted from his Loftwing.

Dan watched curiously as Phil waited for the crowd to disappear before taking off, realising too late that the older boy was flying straight towards him. Dan let out a squeak and quickly tried to gather up his sketchbook and escape before Phil arrived, no doubt to torment him, but there was only a short distance between the square and Dan’s perch.

Within seconds, a pair of bright yellow legs landed on the grass beside Dan and a gust of wind from the large wings ruffled Dan’s hair. Dan scrambled to his feet as Phil jumped down from the back of his bird, those mesmerizing eyes boring into Dan’s.

“What were you drawing?” Phil’s voice was deep and smooth and, oh, Dan could listen to it for hours. It took him a moment to get over the gorgeous sound and register the question, prompting Phil to clarify himself, “During the preparation for the ceremony, you were drawing. What were you drawing?”

“Oh-uh-I was just-I was just drawing the Loftwings,” Dan mumbled, having to lower his eyes from Phil’s because they were blindingly intense.

“May I see?”

Dan hesitated a moment before slowly holding his sketchbook out, peeking up through his brown fringe as Phil took it and delicately started turning through the thick pages.

“These are amazing, is that one me?” Phil grinned and held up the book, pointing to one of the pictures of himself standing beside his Loftwing.

“Yeah…I was just drawing random stuff really,” Dan’s voice was still low and shy, unsure what Phil’s intentions were. He didn’t seem malicious in any way, but Dan was always weary of people nowadays. Everyone knew who he was, ‘the freak without a beak’ as some of the bullies at school had dubbed him.

“They’re amazing,” Phil repeated as he reached the end of the book, looking like he didn’t know what to say for a minute before he spoke again, his voice soft, “You’re Dan, right? Dan Howell? The guy who-”

“Didn’t get a Loftwing?” Dan cut over Phil rudely, not wanting to be pitied or teased by the guy he’d been admiring all day, “Yes, that’s me and if that’s what you came over to talk to me about then you can just go away.”

“Actually, I was going to ask if you were the guy who works at the potion shop,” Phil smiled reassuringly, making Dan’s cheeks flush a deep, shameful crimson. He started to stutter out an apology but Phil started speaking before he could even complete the first syllable, “It’s alright, I imagine you get asked about it alot.”

“You could say that,” Dan grumbled, rolling his eyes and chewing on his lip, “I-Why _did_ you come over here then? No one really talks to me…ever.”

“Well, I saw you sitting up here and-Well, I thought you looked cute and wanted to come talk to you,” Phil’s voice sounded unsure for the first time since he’d started talking to Dan, catching over a couple of his words, “If you want to be alone though I’ll leave, I totally understand after how shitty people are towards you.”

“No no,” Dan said quickly, flashing Phil a smile to reassure him that he was comfortable, “No, I’d like you to stay. I was - I was watching you during the ceremony, you flew beautifully.”

Phil’s smile was bright enough to rival the sun above their heads as he thanked Dan, making him chuckle. Out of nowhere, Phil’s Loftwing squawked and flapped her wings, startling Dan and making him take a step back. He’d always been a little nervous around Loftwings, not having that natural, deeply ingrained bond that everyone else had. To him, they were just giant birds with giant claws that he had no hope in hell of understanding fully.

Seeing Dan’s anxiousness, concern washed over Phil’s features. “Oh, you don’t need be scared of her, she likes to act tough but she’s a big softie really.” As if listening to the conversation, Phil’s Loftwing let out another cawing noise and nudged Phil’s shoulder with her wide beak.

“Sorry,” Dan mumbled apologetically, rubbing his arm and looking down a little, “I’m not too good with Loftwings. I don’t….get them like everyone else does.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Phil shrugged and Dan was astounded. Not even his parents were that open minded about his lack of connection to the sacred birds, they’d just looked at him pityingly and moved on, not being able to understand how someone couldn’t trust Loftwings. Phil’s eyebrows then furrowed together, his head cocking to the side a little as he looked at Dan curiously, “Wait, have you ever flown Dan?”

“My mum took out when I was really little I guess,” Dan shrugged, moving his gaze from Phil’s Loftwing back to his inquisitive eyes, “I can’t really remember though, why do you ask?”

“Well, would you like to go for a fly?” Phil asked, “With me?”

“Oh, I-I don’t know…” Dan’s stammer trailed off as he looked at Phil. He looked so hopeful, his hands twirling together and displaying his anxiousness. Dan was terrified of climbing onto the huge slate blue bird, but - despite having only met him that day - Dan decided to take a leap of faith and trust Phil, “Okay. I’ll go for a fly with you.”

“Great! Let’s get going before it gets too dark,” Phil’s smile was dazzling and swung gracefully up onto his Loftwing then held out a hand towards Dan. “I’ll help you up.”

Dan swallowed thickly to try and dispel the lump forming in his throat before moving over to Phil. Letting Phil hoist him up onto the hulking bird, Dan soon found himself straddling the feathered back behind Phil, feeling the giant wings stretching behind him as Phil’s Loftwing got ready to fly. “Actually Phil, maybe we shoul-” Dan’s words were cut off with a squeal as, with one powerful wing stroke, the Loftwing took off and sailed away from Skyloft.

Phil chuckled as he felt Dan threw his arms around Phil’s torso, holding on with a death grip as the wind whipped their violently back and forth. He turned to look at the other boy, still laughing quietly to himself. “Open your eyes Dan,” he said as softly as he could as the air flew past them and tried to steal away his words.

Phil watched as Dan’s scrunched up eyes slowly open, filling with wonder as he saw the magnificence of the sky. Dan felt his breath leave his lungs as he took in the views around, seeing his world from a whole new perspective. “Oh my god,” he mumbled, Phil just barely hearing the words before he entered another dive and made Dan shriek again.

After a little longer swooping and swirling through the air and having Dan shout at him to, “Stop or I’m going to have a heart attack,” Phil landed his Loftwing on one of the small floating islands that surrounded Skyloft and helped Dan down before collapsing onto the soft green grass with his eyes closed. He felt Dan sit down beside him and pushed himself up into a sitting position, opening his eyes as he looked over Dan’s blissful expression.

“Thank you so much for that,” he murmured to Phil, his wide smile causing his dimple to press deeply into his cheek, “It was…I can’t even begin to describe how incredible that was. It was just…wow.”

“I know what you mean, I can still remember my first time flying,” Phil’s smile took on a nostalgic quality, making his eyes sparkle even more than before.

Dan watched Phil for a moment before his eyes travelled down to his lips, pink and a little chapped from having to deal with high winds everyday. Having thrown away his usual cautiousness already today, Dan thought he may as well go all the way and drop his inhibitions completely. So, he swallowed his fear and leant forward, pressing his lips against Phil’s firmly.

He thought for a moment that Phil was going to push him away but, after a short hesitation, Phil started to reciprocate the kiss, his lips sending sparks throughout Dan’s entire body. Dan trailed after Phil’s when they parted, making Phil snicker under his breath.

“As much as I’d love to keep kissing you, it’s getting late and I’m not allowed to fly in the dark yet,” Phil murmured lowly, slipping his hand into Dan’s and giving it a squeeze before pulling Dan up to his feet, “Maybe we can continue back in Skyloft.”

“I’d like that very much,” Dan quickly pecked Phil’s lips again then let him help back up onto the Loftwing. Dan may have been incomplete, but maybe he didn’t need a Loftwing to complete himself. Maybe he just needed a kind boy with an open mind and bright blue eyes.

As they flew back to Skyloft, Dan once again had his arms wrapped tightly around Phil, clinging on as if his life depended on the contact. This time, however, it wasn’t out of fear of falling.

 


End file.
